


a family is what you make it

by chxrylblossom



Series: i’m standing where the lightning strikes, i know this doesn’t happen twice [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, Post 3x22, Toni is the best girlfriend, choni one shot, not my best work but i had to get this out and y’all on twitter said i should, takes place a few hours after the scene in the woods, the dose of choni and the twins that we all need, they’re awesome aunts, very very soft choni
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-06 02:12:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19053163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chxrylblossom/pseuds/chxrylblossom
Summary: juniper has soft hazel eyes, a little lighter than cheryl’s, and they remind her of polly. the small amount of hair atop her head is a strawberry blonde that cheryl thinks will probably darken to the signature blossom red with age. cheryl adores her, she could marvel at her niece’s cuteness all day, and yet she distinctively resembles polly. dagwood, however… his eyes are the same sky blue as jason’s, his hair a darker red than juniper’s, and his smile… he has jason’s smile. looking at him is like staring her brother in the face, and it doesn’t get any easier nor any less gratifying every time cheryl sees him.orchoni with the twins after the season 3 finale





	a family is what you make it

**Author's Note:**

> this isn’t my best work bUT you all wanted it so!! if you wanna check out my twitter it’s @chxrylblossomx feel free to dm me or something, i love talking to you guys! 
> 
> okayyy without further ado, enjoy! (or something, hopefully?)

“Cher, wake up!” 

 

Not for the first time tonight, Cheryl finds herself being torn from her peaceful slumber by the firm whisper of her girlfriend and the feel of a gentle hand shaking her shoulder. As soon as she becomes aware of her girlfriend’s voice, she also registers the sound of crying… wailing in fact…  _ what the- _

 

“Cheryl… the twins are crying again, wake up.”

 

It suddenly all comes flooding back to her: Juniper and Dagwood, Alice helping her to escape from the farm, ‘ascension night’, the farm being exposed as the organ-harvesting cult that it is… with a quiet whimper, she blinks her eyes open and finds herself staring up at Toni. 

 

Her girlfriend gives her a soft smile, stroking her cheek and dipping down to plant a soft kiss to her lips. “I’m sorry to wake you again, baby, I know you’re  _ exhausted _ , but I can’t calm them both-” Toni begins, tone apologetic, and Cheryl’s quick to interject, sitting up and pressing her finger lightly to Toni’s lips to silence her. 

 

“Hush, TT, we’ve both had exhausting days, but I’m not going to let that stop us from taking care of my darling niece and nephew,” Cheryl says, her heart warming at her girlfriend’s selfless nature, so much so that she leans in to give her another chaste kiss. “Do we know why they’re crying this time?” she asks as she slips out of bed, making her way over to the dresser to retrieve her silk red robe. 

 

Toni smiles, tugging her pyjama shirt tighter around herself as she pads across the floor to open their bedroom door. Cheryl joins her a second later and they start out, quietly, down the hall. “They probably need a change,” she says, and she laughs softly when Cheryl instinctively wrinkles her nose in disgust. “Have you ever changed a baby before, Cher?”

 

“Toni, I’d never even  _ held  _ a baby before Juniper and Dagwood, and Polly would never leave me alone with them, so it’s not like I could have even if I was willing, which… I was not,” Cheryl says with a smile, and Toni chuckles, looping her arm around Cheryl’s waist carefully and rubbing her hip. 

 

“I guess I’ll show you how, then,” she says, pushing open the door to the spare room, the cries of the babies increasing tenfold as she does, and she sees Cheryl flinch slightly in surprise. 

 

They’d had to set up makeshift beds for the twins last night, and that involved placing them both in the middle of the bed, surrounded by pillows, with cushions on the floor in case they happened to roll off. Thankfully they had seemed to be just as exhausted as Cheryl and Toni; falling asleep as soon as the girls had set them down. 

 

But now the both of them are quite literally screaming their lungs out, seemingly done with being complaisant and well-behaved. 

 

Cheryl watches with an affectionate smile as Toni leans down to lift up Juniper, lips curling into a warm smile. “Hi, sweetie… shh, you don’t have to cry just because your brother is,” Toni coos, holding the baby to her chest and bouncing her lightly. She then glances over her shoulder at Cheryl, smile softening slightly. “You gonna grab Dagwood, Cher?”

 

“Yeah, I…” Cheryl’s breath hitches slightly as she looks down at the little blue bundle on the bed, gaze faltering as she meets his eyes. Or more accurately…  _ Jason’s  _ eyes. 

 

Juniper has soft hazel eyes, a little lighter than Cheryl’s and they remind her of Polly. The small amount of hair atop her head is a strawberry blonde that Cheryl thinks will probably darken to the signature Blossom red with age. Cheryl adores her, she could marvel at her niece’s cuteness all day, and yet she distinctively resembles Polly. Dagwood, however… his eyes are the same sky blue as Jason’s, his hair a darker red than Juniper’s, and his smile… he has Jason’s smile. Looking at him is like staring her brother in the face, and it doesn’t get any easier nor any less gratifying every time Cheryl sees him. 

 

“Babe?” Toni prompts softly, after a few moments of silence on Cheryl’s part. Juniper has slowed to soft gurgling in Toni’s arms, whereas Dagwood’s still wailing, and staring up at Cheryl with those  _ eyes- _

 

She exhales shakily, trying to push away the memory of her brother’s body, in the chamber at the farm earlier, and gives her girlfriend a watery-eyed smile. “Sorry. He just…” Cheryl trails off, reaching down to pat Dagwood’s stomach lightly before she picks him up and settles him on her hip. “He looks so much like Jason.”

 

She feels a hand against her arm, and looks up at Toni just in time to catch her empathetic nod. “I know,” Toni murmurs softly, and Cheryl allows herself to relax slightly, keeping her gaze fixed on her girlfriend for a few moments. Then Toni smiles, hand squeezing Cheryl’s shoulder lightly as she nods down at the baby in her own arms. “She looks like you, you know?”

 

Eyes widening, Cheryl breathes a chuckle, allowing herself to smile. “You think?” she asks, and her heart warms when Toni nods and places a kiss to her cheek. Cheryl finally looks down at Dagwood again, heart warming even more to find her nephew looking up at her with a toothless smile, cheeks slightly red from his now dulled down cries. His eyes squint slightly as he gargles happily and tugs at a lock of her hair, before-

 

“Oh my  _ god _ , Toni!” Cheryl squeaks, eyes flying wide as she stares down in disgust at the now soiled patch on her pyjama shirt where Dagwood has just thrown up. “He- he…” she cringes and has to swallow harshly to keep back her own sense of nausea. 

 

To Cheryl’s utter disdain, when she looks to her girlfriend Toni’s holding back a  _ laugh _ as she bounces Juniper in her arms. “It’s just a little sick, that’s what babies do. We’ll get you cleaned up in a bit,” Toni attempts a soothing tone, chuckling softly and squeezing her shoulder. 

 

“He’s… he’s fine, though?” Cheryl asks, eyes worried, and Toni offers another consoling smile and a nod of confirmation. 

 

“He’s absolutely fine, babe. I promise.”

 

Cheryl exhales softly, nodding and directing her smile at Dagwood when he babbles at her. “So how do we change them?” she asks, a little nervously. 

 

“Okay… so can you grab a couple of towels and set them on the bed? We’ll have to make do since we don’t have a changing table… we might want to think about getting some of this stuff if this is going to be long term— anyway, right now towels will be fine,” Toni says, losing herself slightly in her ramblings, prompting Cheryl to chuckle lightly. 

 

She clears her throat lightly, dodging the chubby hand that Dagwood waves in her face, tiny fingers poking at her cheek. “You… you wouldn’t mind if this was long term?” she asks attempting nonchalance as she opens the closet door and reaches up to grab a couple of towels off the top shelf. “Us and the babies?”

 

Toni doesn’t respond for a while, and Cheryl begins to worry until she turns back around to find that Toni’s watching her with a slightly bemused smile. “Mind? Cheryl… of course I wouldn’t mind. I  _ love  _ them, and I love  _ you _ . Plus, they… they really don’t have anyone else at the moment, do they?” she smiles a little sadly, looking down at Juniper who’s resting her head against Toni’s chest, her little thumb poking between her lips, eyes droopy. 

 

Cheryl hums softly for a second, shaking her head slowly as she lays the towels on the bed, setting Dagwood down on one of them. Her coos in disapproval, chubby hands reaching up and grabbing onto a lock of her hair. Cheryl rolls her eyes, lightly tickling his inner wrist until he relinquishes the grip on her hair. “We’d have to… think about the legalities. I know Riverdale’s in shambles when it comes to the law, but they’re hot on social services,” Cheryl says, hearing Toni chuckle as she sets Juniper down beside her brother. 

 

“Agreed. We could have a talk with Nana Rose tomorrow, if you like?” Toni suggests, placing the pack of diapers that they’d stopped to buy on the way home (amongst an assortment of other random baby things) on the bed. 

 

Cheryl smiles, nodding slowly as she watches Toni. “Yeah, sounds good,” she murmurs a little absentmindedly, patting lightly at Dagwood’s stomach when he releases a random babble. 

 

“Okay, then it’s a plan. But right now… are you ready for baby lesson number one?”

 

*

 

Morning comes not too many hours after they finally get to sleep. Probably only one or two, in fact, and Cheryl can feel the fatigue all the way down to her bones when she’s awoken by her usual school alarm. Even entertaining the idea of school is a little amusing to her, because it’s not like any of them (her and Toni especially, right now) can spare any time to go to school. 

 

She wonders when exactly it was that they stopped being normal teenagers. 

 

Turning her alarm off before it can wake Toni, Cheryl slips out of bed and down the hall to the temporary nursery, already envisioning the pink and blue cots that would sit in the corner, the light yellow she’d paint the walls, the colourful  ‘ABC’ rug she would order for the carpet… It brings a smile to her face. Jason would be so happy that they’re here. He’d be so proud of  _ her _ for taking care of them, and she knows he’d absolutely adore Toni. 

 

Thinking of her brother is making her heart hurt a little, so she pushes the thoughts of him away. 

 

From where she’s standing, she can see that Dagwood is definitely still asleep, but creeping in carefully, she notices Juniper’s hazel eyes are wide open and trained on her, a toothless grin on her chubby little face. She begins to make a noise, pushing herself up onto her hands and knees, and Cheryl is quick to shush her carefully, stopping at the edge of the bed and reaching down to pick her up. Juniper’s a little lighter than her brother, and it’s easier for Cheryl to bounce her against her hip. 

 

“Morning, sweet girl,” Cheryl coos softly, giving her a soft kiss on her forehead, revelling in the familiar baby smell that greets her - along with something else that reminds Cheryl that she and Toni should really give the babies a bath later. 

 

Using her newfound baby-changing skills, Cheryl makes quick and quiet work of changing Juniper, before dressing her in the little red sundress that had been originally intended for her birthday. That  _ also  _ reminds Cheryl that they need to buy some clothes, amongst other things, and she groans quietly, wondering if it would be okay to drop by Betty’s and pick up anything, but… she doesn’t want to risk Betty offering to take the babies. Not only does the other girl have too much going on at the moment, but… god, Cheryl’s  _ loving  _ this time with the twins already, and it’s the longest she’s ever spent with the tiny living, breathing carbon copies of Jason. 

 

She really doesn’t want to give this up just yet. 

 

Once she’s dressed her, Cheryl makes her way downstairs to make her a bottle (another of the low quality purchases from the store last night) and then settles at the window seat in the living room with Juniper cradled against her chest. It takes her a while to figure out how best to feed it to her, and after a minute or so and a few gurgles on the baby’s part, she realises that Juniper wants to hold it herself. 

 

After a while, her head begins to lull sleepily, and it makes Cheryl chuckle softly. “You guys sleep so much, huh?” she murmurs, her hand moving to support Juniper’s head gently, thumb stroking over the nape of her neck lightly. 

 

Everything about these babies is just  _ perfection _ . Juniper’s tiny pink fists curled around the bottle, her brown hazel eyes that are slowly fluttering closed, her chubby cheeks, tinted pink and revealing a small content smile. Cheryl’s eyes feel teary just looking at her, knowing that Jason created this perfect little  _ bundle of joy. _ She thinks it makes her happier than anything ever could.

 

Prying the now empty bottle from her hands carefully, Juniper’s eyes blink open once more, and with a yawn, she releases a soft babble of, “ma-ma,” tugging at Cheryl’s shirt, eyes wide as she peers up at her aunt. 

 

Cheryl knows that she doesn’t know what she’s saying, not really, she’s much too small to be saying that with the concept of what it means, but… her heart _aches_ even so. Because the twins’ father is dead, murdered, and their mother? She’s _gone._ Along with all their grandparents (god knows where Penelope’s gone; not that Cheryl cares nor wants to know). Cheryl doesn’t know whether they’ll ever see Polly again, she has no idea, and so her chest aches for the blissfully ignorant little thing lying on her chest. 

 

“I don’t know, honey. I’m sorry,” she mutters quietly, swallowing the lump in her throat as she does so. She knows it doesn’t matter what she says, it’s not like her words will have much meaning to Juniper anyway, but the idea of her niece and nephew growing up as orphans breaks her heart. 

 

She’s hoping against hope that they find Polly,  _ alive,  _ somehow _.  _

 

Juniper falls asleep after that, and Cheryl continues to rock her lightly, deciding she would probably take her upstairs to the rocking chair in Jason’s old room if it didn’t risk waking up Toni, Dagwood and Nana Rose. A fond smile settles on her face as she observes the way that her little fingers press at her lips, lips parted slightly in a search for comfort. She adds pacifiers to her mental shopping list.

 

When Toni appears in the doorway with Dagwood, a little while later, Cheryl’s face lights up with an even brighter smile. Her nephew’s dressed in the other little sundress they’d planned to give to Juniper for their birthday (given that Dagwood’s present was to be a set of alphabet blocks that weren’t exactly of any use now) and he looks just as adorable as Juniper. 

 

“Morning, beautiful,” Toni smiles warmly, stopping beside the windowsill and ducking down to give her a gentle kiss. Cheryl smiles against Toni’s lips… until it’s interrupted by Dagwood patting her cheek, and she breaks away with a burst of quiet laughter. 

 

Squeezing Toni’s hip lightly and patting the spot on the window seat beside her, Cheryl smiles even wider. “Good morning, TT…” she glances to Dagwood with another soft chuckle. “Subverting gender roles before breakfast, I see?”

 

Toni rolls her eyes. “We need to stop by at the Jones’ house, and see if Betty has any clothes for them. As dashing as he looks…” she wrinkles her nose slightly and Cheryl nods hesitantly. 

 

“I was thinking we could… just look online?” she bites her lip, ducking her head a little sheepishly. “I don’t know, I just feel as though Betty may offer, or rather _insist_ , that she accommodates the twins, and I wouldn’t feel right refusing that, TT. But… God, Jason’s really, truly gone… _again_ , and I just…” Cheryl trails off, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. 

 

Pausing, Toni rubs Cheryl’s leg gently, face displaying clear deliberation. “Baby…” she mutters, evidently conflicted, other hand patting Dagwood’s back gently. “You’re the twins’ aunt, just as much as Betty is, and if she tries to argue otherwise, we’ll- well, we can cross that bridge if and when. I just think we should probably stop in to see her, even if just to check she’s holding up okay.”

 

With a sharp exhale, Cheryl ducks her head, suddenly feeling quite selfish. She allows her eyes to roam over Juniper’s sleeping face, a small smile tugging at her lips. “I know, I’m sorry, it’s selfish of me, I know, I-“ she begins, but she’s quickly cut off with Toni’s hand squeezing her arm. 

 

“ _ No.  _ You are not selfish, Cheryl. Juniper and Dagwood are your niece and nephew and your only link to Jason, and… Polly’s not exactly been generous in the time she’s allowed you to spend with them,” Toni brushes her thumb over Cheryl’s knuckles carefully. “It makes so much sense that you want them here - I do too. And we’ll fight that, okay? They’re probably better off here with us, anyway, and I’m sure FP doesn’t want two screaming babies in his house  _ anyway _ , not if there’s an alternative.”

 

Cheryl exhales a little shakily, the hand supporting Juniper’s head moving to rub her back, the baby snuggling closer to her, warm body a comforting presence alone. “You’re right, Toni,” she murmurs, nodding her head. “We’ll go by later?”

 

“If that’s what you want, babe,” Toni nods, squeezing Cheryl’s arm once more and smiling. “We can stop at the store again on the way, pick up some more things. They go through these diapers quicker than I thought,” Toni’s voice is a little teasing, and it brings a smile to Cheryl’s lips. 

 

She pauses for a few moments, though, wetting her lips as she deliberates how to voice the most prominent thought currently circulating her mind. It’s something she’s anxious to broach, but she knows that it’s important to communicate with Toni; that’s mainly what had broken them up before, lack of communication and excessive internalisation on both of their parts. Cheryl especially. She’s not going to make the same mistake again, so she reaches out to take Toni’s hand, squeezing lightly. 

 

“TT? Does this mean you’re moving back in?” she asks, swallowing harshly. Toni had never  _ officially _ moved out, but after their reconciliation, Toni had started spending a few nights a week at her trailer, even a couple with Peaches n’ Cream ( _ that _ had Cheryl stewing in jealousy). She knows it’s important for them both to have their own space and time, but now they’re… well, overnight they suddenly have two babies, and Cheryl knows she can’t do this alone. 

 

Nana Rose loves Juniper and Dagwood but she’s an elderly, wheelchair-bound woman with dementia and a tendency to be a little  _ crazy.  _ There’s not much she can do to help Cheryl, and the girl isn’t even sure how much she would trust her Nana to do for the babies. 

 

She  _ needs _ Toni. And more importantly… she wants her here. 

 

Maybe it’s not the best circumstances to ask her to move back in, maybe it could go all a little wrong, maybe… Cheryl isn’t sure. But it’s the situation at hand, and she’s not about to begin second guessing herself. 

 

Toni is watching her with a slightly indecipherable expression, lower lip caught between her teeth. After a while she draws in a soft breath, squeezing Cheryl’s hand in her own. “We have to do better this time, baby,” she murmurs, meeting Cheryl’s eye. “I’m not fucki- I’m not losing you again. Not even for a minute. And if these weren’t the circumstances I would suggest we waited a little longer still, but…” 

 

Cheryl tries not to smile at the way Toni backtracks on swearing, her eyes darting down to the baby in her own arms as she does so. She keeps her gaze fixed on Toni’s, whose eyes are intense and earnest. “But?” she prompts softly.

 

“Yeah, Cher. I’ll move back in,” she nods, smiling softly, and Cheryl feels the soaring relief flood her. “Of course I will.”

 

_ Thank god. You don’t deserve her, she’s so fucking perfect- _

 

Cheryl can’t help herself, she shuffles forward, cupping Toni’s face gently and pulling her into a tender kiss. She strokes Toni’s cheek lightly, trying not to allow her smile to grow too wide, and also careful not to disrupt either of the babies in their embraces. “I love you, TT,” she murmurs against her lips. 

 

Toni smiles back, pulling away, brushing her nose lightly against Cheryl’s. “I love you, dork,” she breathes a soft chuckle, and Cheryl’s heart floods with happiness. 

 

Once again, however, Dagwood is quick to babble loudly, clearly upset at being left out because he’s gripping at both Cheryl and Toni’s hair and tugging. It’s not hard because he has tiny fists and not a lot of strength, but still,  _ ouch.  _

 

“You little devil child,” Cheryl mutters, jokingly, tickling at his wrists as she had done earlier until he releases them with a squealing giggle that causes Juniper to stir and snuggle closer into Cheryl’s chest. 

 

Toni grins, gently ruffling the sparse amount of bright red hair on Dagwood’s head. “He’s going to have drowned in estrogen by the end of the week,” she says. 

 

Cheryl rolls her eyes with a laugh. “You’re probably not helping matters by dressing him in his sister’s clothes. 

 

“But he’s so  _ adorable _ \- pink may be his colour. And… Juniper’s is red, just like her aunt.”

 

Cheeks burning slightly as they  _ always  _ do when Toni compliments her, Cheryl smiles and ducks down to kiss her niece’s forehead gently. “I agree, TT.”

 

At that, Juniper’s eyes flutter open.  _ Oh no…  _ Despite crossing her fingers, the baby blinks for a moment or two, before her eyes get watery, bottom lip trembling and she bursts into tears. 

 

Groaning softly, both girls watch as her cries then trigger her brother to burst into equally as loud, if not louder, cries. And suddenly their peaceful morning is over and they’re once again thrown into a wheel of chaos, but… meeting her girlfriend’s eye, they share a small smile, before launching into ‘baby-mode’ once more, and Cheryl finds that although it’s already proving to be hard work… honestly? 

 

She doesn’t mind working hard for these babies -  _ Jason’s  _ babies - that she loves so much. 

 

*

 

“Toni, Cheryl…” Betty’s eye’s flicker down to the babies in the said girl’s’ arms, taking note of the pink dress that Dagwood is adorning with a slightly quirked eyebrow. “Hey, come on in.”

 

Cheryl spares her girlfriend an anxious glance, shifting Dagwood on her hip and stepping across the threshold. Giving her cousin a careful smile, she reaches out her free hand to rest lightly on Betty’s arm. “Hi, Cousin Betty. We… we wanted to check in, and see how you’re doing,” Cheryl says softly, smiling when Dagwood pats her shoulder and then points at Betty, releasing a soft babble. 

 

Betty gives her a barely there smile, squeezing Dagwood’s tiny hand gently and nodding. “Thank you, I… I’m alright. I’m alive, at least, I guess,” she says with a quiet humourless chuckle, and Cheryl feels a pang of guilt. 

 

It was her own  _ mother’s  _ fault that Betty almost wasn’t. Penelope Blossom is a monster, and Cheryl’s been experiencing her wrath ever since she was a baby, but until now… it’s been her burden to shoulder only. She’s dealt with Penelope’s abuse, she’s coped with it, but now Penelope has dragged her cousin and her… sort-of-friends into it too, and although the Scooby Gang may not be her closest acquaintances; she cares about them a lot, all of them, and she can’t help the immense guilt she feels. 

 

Swallowing harshly, Cheryl looks up at her cousin once more. “Betty, I just want to say that I… I’m sorry, I’m  _ so _ sorry about what my mother did to you, all of you, I-” she begins, her fingers brushing the back of Dagwood’s neck to keep herself calm. She hadn’t planned on saying any of this, and she can tell that Toni’s shocked too by the way that her girlfriend’s shoulders tense slightly. 

 

She’s cut off, however, by Betty’s hand clasping her own, and she’s surprised to see her cousin staring at her intensely, wide green eyes filled with something akin to empathy. “Cheryl, you have nothing to apologise for. Your mother’s actions aren’t your own,” Betty says, and she hesitates, before ducking her head slightly and giving a sad smile. “When my dad was revealed to be the Black Hood, god, I felt awful. I went around apologising to Fred Andrews, and Midge Klump’s family, and Moose… It wasn’t until months later that I realised none of it was on me. None of it was my fault. Just as this isn’t yours. You, Toni, the Pretty Poisons and Serpents; you all saved our lives, last night, Cheryl. That’s not nothing.” 

 

Ignoring the way that Dagwood tugs at her hair in a vie for attention, Cheryl blinks back the tears that she hadn’t expected to form. Who knew that Betty Cooper perhaps truly cares about her? 

 

She feels Toni’s arm slipping carefully around her waist, and subconsciously leans into the embrace, her girlfriend an ever-comforting presence. “Thank you, Betty,” she draws in a sharp breath and blinks a few times in rapid succession to rid herself of the tears that she still refuses to shed in the present company. 

 

“No need to thank me, Cheryl,” Betty offers a slightly more genuine smile than before, although Cheryl can still see the vacancy in her eyes. She wouldn’t expect anything more. “Now… as for why else you’re here, are you dropping the twins off?” 

 

Cheryl finally looks to Toni, the anxiety in the pit of her stomach returning. She subconsciously clutches Dagwood a little tighter, cradling his little head to her shoulder. She doesn’t want to part with him, nor Juniper; she wants to be given the chance to take care of these beautiful babies, to spend time with them while not under the watchful hawk-eye of Polly (although she’s still praying for her cousin’s safe return, of  _ course _ ). 

 

“That’s the thing,” Toni speaks, and Cheryl feels relieved because Toni probably has more composure than her when it comes to posing their argument on this front. “Cheryl and I… and Nana Rose for that matter, we’d like the twins to stay with us. At Thistle House.” There’s a silence that consists of Toni glancing from Betty to Cheryl and squeezing her girlfriend’s waist lightly at the sight of her biting her lip nervously. 

 

Betty looks between them in what seems to be surprise, brow furrowed a little but expression not displaying any hostility.  _ That’s a good sign.  _ “Really? You… you want that?”

 

Cheryl bounces Dagwood carefully, biting back a smile at his soft gargle as he presses his cold little nose against her neck, hands scrabbling at her shoulders. He’s probably a little restless, which makes sense, she wants to make sure to get some of their toys if- no,  _ when _ Betty agrees to such. “Yes. Obviously if that’s something you’re opposed to we can discuss, uh,” she pauses in thought, “alternating, or something, but... they’re my niece and nephew too. I know that Polly isn’t my biggest fan, Betty, but… They like me, and Toni too. We can take care of them.”

 

Betty looks surprised, eyes flickering from Toni to Cheryl, and then down to the babies in their arms. Toni’s bouncing Juniper slightly, her head resting in the crook of Toni’s neck, on the verge of sleep, sleepy hazel eyes dropping; while Dagwood’s watching her aunt with curious blue ones that stir a mixture of emotions within Cheryl. 

 

After a moment or two longer of silence, Betty nods her head. “Okay? I guess, I don’t know,” Betty bites down on her lip, eyes flickering from Juniper to Dagwood once more. “Can I like, drop in and visit them?”

 

Eyes widening, Cheryl holds Dagwood a little tighter and nods fervently. “Of course you can! We’ll bring them by  _ whenever  _ you want, or you can come to Thistle House - every day if you like.” Cheryl inhales the familiar baby scent of her nephew’s head, a smile quickly forming on her lips. “You’re okay with that?”

 

Betty swallows harshly, before nodding once more. “I… Yeah? Obviously there are the formalities, legal stuff and everything, because social services will be enquiring-”

 

“Absolutely. We’ve spoken to my Nana and we’ll take care of that,” Cheryl says, eyes lit up with excitement as she spares her girlfriend a glance, happy to find Toni nodding in agreement. “Do you, uh, happen to have any of their stuff? Toys or clothes? As you can see… desperate measures,” she looks down at Dagwood in his little pink dress, who’s beginning to look a bit weary himself. 

 

Betty chuckles and nods, running a hand through her tangled hair. “Yeah, we brought all my mom and Polly’s stuff back from the farm, so I… I’ll show you upstairs if you like.”

 

Cheryl smiles, giving a nod of agreement, and following after Betty towards the stairs. In her arms, Dagwood babbles softly and pats her cheek, a content smile on his face, and in this moment… baby nephew in arms, girlfriend and niece in tow, with the promise of so much more time to be spent with them all… Cheryl thinks that this moment, is one of the happiest she’s ever had. 

 

*

 

Having babies is exhausting, it seems. Cheryl and Toni both had thought their first night with the twins would be the most disturbed, but it seems that it doesn’t get any easier. And so after changing the third diaper of the night and reading the, perhaps,  _ seventh  _ bedtime story… the couple finally collapse into Cheryl’s four poster bed, eagerly scrambling beneath the red silk covers to catch their last couple of hours of sleep. 

 

Exhaling softly, Toni extends an arm, allowing Cheryl to curl into her side, pressing a soft kiss to her girlfriend’s brow. “Hopefully they’ll sleep the rest of the way through now. Because if they weren’t such adorable little munchkins, Cher, I swear to god,” Toni mutters, prompting Cheryl to laugh softly and place a kiss to Toni’s chin. 

 

“I’m exhausted too. But…” Cheryl wrinkles her nose up a little and smiles, one shoulder lifting into a shrug, “So worth it, right?”

 

Cheryl feels Toni’s warm hands stroking up her bare arms lightly, and she snuggles closer into her girlfriend for further warmth, eyes falling closed. “ _ So _ worth it,” Toni murmurs, and Cheryl can practically hear her smile without having to open her eyes. 

 

Pulling the covers a little closer around them, Cheryl yawns and grips onto Toni tighter. “We’re super good aunts, huh?” she mumbles, voice laced with tiredness. 

 

“We sure are, baby,” Toni chuckles softly, threading her fingers through Cheryl’s hair carefully, nails scratching lightly and soothingly at her scalp as she does so. 

 

“I think… Jason would be proud of me,” Cheryl says, and only then does she open her eyes, peering up at Toni with earnest dark brown orbs, a smile playing at her lips. “And he’d adore you so much, TT. I wish you could’ve met him.”

 

Toni hugs Cheryl closer, nodding her head fervently. “I’d have loved him too, Cher,” she breathes softly, planting a soft kiss to Cheryl’s cheek, comforting and loving. Then she pauses for a second, as if remembering something, and falters for a few moments before she continues, “Yesterday you said something about seeing Jason’s… body? At the farm? Do you want to talk about that?” Toni asks quietly, and Cheryl can hear the trepidation in her tone. 

 

Despite the fact that it’s been over twenty four hours now, Cheryl hasn’t had a chance to stop and actually… process. It’s been hectic, constant action, and now in the silence and safety of her bedroom, it’s all beginning to catch up with her. Drawing in a shaky breath, she nods against Toni’s chest, gripping onto her girlfriend as she does so. “They must have been keeping him there? Using h-him to make me think I was, uh, seeing him?” she swallows harshly, eyes blinking shut as she tries to rid her mind of the image of Jason’s  _ decaying  _ corpse. 

 

She feels Toni’s hand still against her back, and after a short pause, her voice breaks the silence. “Fuck, Cheryl, I- I’m so sorry… Are you  _ okay _ ?” Toni’s hands are moving up now and cupping her face, thumbs stroking her cheeks lightly. 

 

Cheryl breathes a soft hum, blinking her eyes open and giving a small sad smile. “Yeah? I mean… No, but I don’t think any of us are, or will be for a long time yet, TT. But I’m… I’m fine, I think? Because, I have you and we have the babies, and although everything’s kind of gone to shit over the last week or so - it’s just life. And we can get through it, together, you know?”

 

Toni stares at her for a moment, insistent eyes still scouring her girlfriend’s face for any signs of negative emotion, but after a while, she breathes a quiet chuckle too, nodding her head. “Don’t go getting all sappy on me now,” she mutters, and at Cheryl’s eye roll she cracks a small smile. “But I do know, Cher, I do. I’m okay as long as I’ve got you.”

 

Leaning up, Cheryl captures her girlfriend’s lips with her own, ignoring the tickle of Toni’s hair against her face because it has a familiar sort of comfort to it. Toni’s hand slides into her hair, prompting Cheryl to hum softly against her lips, both of them clinging to one another for a few moments longer before Cheryl slumps down against Toni’s chest with a dramatic sigh. 

 

“I’m too tired for sex, TT… Tomorrow night?” 

 

Toni lets out an playfully indignant laugh. “Seriously?” Toni scoffs, running a careful hand through her girlfriend’s hair even so, an action that she knows puts Cheryl to sleep within a few minutes - every time without fail. 

 

Humming softly, Cheryl places a feather light kiss to the base of Toni’s neck, snuggling impossibly closer to her, immediately made sleepier by the comforting warmth of her girlfriend’s presence. “Love you, babe,” she mumbles, lips drawing up into a small drowsy smile that makes Toni’s heart warm in a way that she can’t ignore. 

 

“Yeah, yeah… I love you too. Sleep tight, baby,” Toni mumbles, planting a final kiss to Cheryl’s forehead and snuggling down into the covers. 

 

And she does, they both do, until they’re awoken a mere three hours later to the screeches of two very hungry babies in the room down the hall. Toni rolls her eyes, and Cheryl whines as she drags herself out of bed but… 

 

Really? Neither of them mind. Neither of them would trade where they are right now for anything. 

 

Their little family is unbeatable. 

**Author's Note:**

> let me know what u think! or not! love you guys :)


End file.
